A Ring
by serendipitiness
Summary: It's a long and winding road before he finally manages to slip a ring on her finger. A series of drabbles about a hero and his IT girl.
1. A Ring

He wishes, sometimes, that he wasn't quite so perceptive. Usually he appreciates it; in his current line of work, one minute detail can mean life or death, and so he is usually grateful for the instinct he picked up on the island. Sometimes, though… sometimes he wishes he wasn't so perceptive.

Tonight, he is the first to the Foundry. He doesn't begrudge Diggle his time home with Lyla and Sara, and he knows Felicity can't be here all the time though he might wish otherwise. Oliver doesn't linger on that thought though – it's been nearly a year since he and Felicity shared their one and only kiss, and while nothing is outwardly wrong, there is always an undercurrent of tension in every gaze they share. She still jokes with him and rambles until her cheeks turn a furious shade of pink, but he can tell that she holds back sometimes. Now, she hesitates before she touches his shoulder, and in turn he catches himself before reflexively taking her elbow.

She's been dating Ray Palmer for a while now; he hates it, and he lashed out at her endlessly when he first found out, but he knows he has no right to do anything about it. It's made him even more sullen and serious than usual, but regardless of their feelings their little team of three works well enough together.

And most importantly, she's safe.

Diggle walks in as Oliver is training, and the two men make eye contact in acknowledgment. They begin discussing the night's work, but neither man can really concentrate as they wait for Felicity. When they finally hear the sound of her heels clicking down the stairs a long forty-three minutes later, both breathe a sigh of simultaneous annoyance and relief.

She looks lovely in a bright red dress not unlike the one she wore during their date many moons ago. In fact, with her hair down and glasses off, Oliver can't help but swallow hard as he recalls that night. Diggle comments on her appearance and as Felicity begins to talk in her animated way with her vigorous hand gestures, he sees it.

He blinks, then blinks again – it's still there.

A diamond ring resting on the fourth finger of her left hand.

A low roar overpowers his hearing, and Oliver is frozen. Felicity is still talking, a beautiful smile gracing her face, and Oliver can't help but feel a twinge of hurt that she hasn't noticed his silence. When she finally does turn his way and meet his eyes, Oliver manages an unsteady, "Congratulations."

Her grin is so wide it might split her face. "Thank you, Oliver." She looks down at her hand, and then murmurs, "I'm really happy."

Her smile is genuine, and that's what hurts him the most.

Diggle, who hadn't noticed the engagement ring, wraps Felicity in a warm hug as she recounts the proposal to him. Oliver turns away.

Somehow in the back of his mind, he'd imagined that someday in the future he would be able to be able to live as both Oliver Queen and the Arrow, as the billionaire and as the vigilante, and as… _someone_ to Felicity. Despite everything, he believed that in the end he could still be with her – the brilliant girl who saves his life every night, whose nonsensical talk hides the most genius mind he's ever seen, whose compassion and love gradually pierced his armor and burrowed into his heart.

Oliver wishes Felicity hadn't been dressed to the nines so that he would pay extra attention to her clothes. He wishes he hadn't seen Ray Palmer's ring on her finger. He wishes… but it's too late.

They say that what you don't know can't hurt you, and for once he agrees.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading:) Please leave a review!


	2. 11 Seconds

What had once been familiar ride up the elevator to his own office was now distant and foreign, the Palmer Technologies logo everywhere in his view. Oliver's nails dug into his calloused palms as he tried to steady his breath while the elevator took him closer and closer to her.

Part of him still didn't want to tell her. Every possible scenario he imagined in his mind involved Felicity's life being put at risk – he could still recall with startling clarity the sight of her lying on the metal table in the Foundry after their first and only date, blood as red as her dress trickling down the side of her beautiful face. Lately, though… lately his thoughts had unwillingly wandered away from the past to a new future.

A future where he could return to the Foundry to a kiss from Felicity.

A future where he could go home with her after a long night's work and fall asleep to the sound of her gentle snores and nonsensical rambling.

A future where he'd be able to protect her as his wife, as her belly grew big with their baby and as they grew old together, and where she'd be able to protect him from the dangers of Starling City.

For all the self-control he had gained in his time on the island, for all the willpower and strength he had acquired during the most trying five years of his life, he still could not control himself around her.

Yes, he had made a decision. It was what he had told Diggle and what he had said over the comms to Felicity as he tracked down Cupid.

He knew in his heart, though, that it was a damn stupid decision.

Every time he saw Felicity's smile falter when he looked at her, or every time she spoke on the phone with Ray Palmer or Barry Allen, he wanted to shoot something, shake her, and kiss her. She had slowly but insistently wiggled her way into his very being until his every action was driven by the knowledge that Felicity Smoak would always be there to support him, whether he was the Arrow or Oliver Queen.

And for all of Diggle's insistence, he was right – he needed to act before it was too late. Before she cut herself out of his life. Before he really did shoot something… or someone.

The elevator door slid open, and Oliver stepped out, his footfalls absolutely silent on the brightly polished floor. Half the lights were off, but he could hear the sound of gentle murmurs coming from around the corner as he walked determinedly toward what had once been his office.

Oliver stopped abruptly as he neared the glass doors, the vision of Felicity in Ray Palmer's arms shocking him into momentary paralysis. Almost in slow motion, he watched Palmer's head bend down towards Felicity's, his hands grasping her arms gently as he pulled her in slowly. He saw Felicity look up, her expression one of neither expectation nor resignation. The distance between the two closed.

Oliver cleared his throat.

"Stop."

* * *

><p>AN: If only Oliver had arrived 11 seconds earlier...

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	3. 11 Seconds - Part 2

After Ray leaves the two of them in her office, he can't help but linger around the corner to eavesdrop. He knows that he can technically watch from the security camera feed, but he's feeling impatient and his curiosity is besting him this time.

He likes Felicity. Rarely does he find someone as smart, dedicated, and unintentionally funny as she is. He knows despite his wealth and ambition that he is socially awkward, more of a scientist than a businessman. It's that knowledge, he's ashamed to admit, that drives him to talk about his helicopters and properties and wave his millions under the noses of acquaintances. It's a bad habit of his, along with his inclination to say "B-T-W."

And so he wants to impress her, to blow her away with his general awesomeness. But though he is socially awkward, he is not unobservant. He's seen the glances between Felicity and Oliver Queen, noticed how evasive his vice president when it comes to talk about her former boss.

That's why he's here now, snooping on the girl he likes like a stalker. He's embarrassed (but not embarrassed enough to stop).

"What are you doing here, Oliv –"

Silence? Why is there silence?

He hears the rustle of cloth on cloth before it is interrupted by the sudden sound of heels clicking on the floor, stepping abruptly.

"You can't do that to me! You can't tell me again and again and again that you need to be alone and then just walk up to my office and kiss me!"

Queen kissed her?

"Felicity –"

"Is this funny to you? Is my life a joke to you? Can't you just let me move on and be happy, Oliver?"

"I want you to be happy –"

"Then stop. Working with you and John everyday has been the most amazing experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, not even for all my student loans to be paid off, but I've been… I've been in love with you for years, watching you with Gorgeous Laurel and psycho girlfriends and I've tried not to say a word because I know even when it makes no sense, they've made you happy. So please, Oliver, please let me be happy whether it's with Ray or Barry or just on my own!"

Ray hears a sob, and he wants to rush out and gather Felicity in his arms. He stops now, though, now that he knows he's not the man for the job.

"Felicity," he hears Oliver plead. "You know I'm not good with words, so just… I've been selfish. I wanted…"

A pause.

"You know how I feel about you. I couldn't be with you, so I didn't want anybody else to be with you either. And I know that's wrong and unfair. When you're out with other people, I've been angry… angry at you for moving on, but mostly angry at myself because I can't figure out what I want."

"You've told me time and time again what you want, Oliver! To be with someone you don't really care about, to be alone. I get it, I've heard you –"

"But that's all been a lie – that's not what I want. That's never been what I really wanted. I want to be with you. I want to kiss you without making you cry. I want to take you out to dinner without a bomb exploding on us. I want to help you paint your toenails bubblegum pink and impress your mother and hear you babble every day…"

With the sound of Felicity's heels coupled with the crash of pens spilling onto the floor and the sound of kissing – God, was that what it sounded like? – Ray steps away from the door and heads toward his office. He's overheard more than he should have.

Part of him wants to compete a little, to at least try for the attention of the girl he liked. He knows it's a lost cause, though, and so Ray closes the door to his office and sits down heavily in his chair.

It's okay, he thinks to himself confidently. After all, there have to be other beautiful, quirky women out there who can both appreciate couture and breach Tor-secured firewalls, right?

He lets out a heavy sigh and closes his eyes.

Right.

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><p>AN: I sorta feel bad for Ray... but not that bad.

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	4. Mask

Oliver walks down the stairs into the foundry, soothed as he always is by the sight of his green suit and sharpened, deadly arrows lying in wait. Here, though he has departed the glitzy world of Oliver Queen, he has not yet completely stepped foot into the Arrow's realm. Here, he can simply be himself – scars, bad lies, and all.

He is greeted by the sight of Felicity's back hunched over her computer, fingers clicking away at breakneck speed as she works her magic. Pausing behind her, he imagines, as he always does, running his fingers through her thick blonde ponytail, feeling her pulse race in the hollow of her throat as he strokes the soft, sensitive skin of her neck. It was a part of a fantasy that ran through his mind too many times – one he had to actively restrain himself from turning into a reality.

Felicity hasn't noticed him yet, and he smiles at her concentration. It's one of the many qualities he admires.

"Hey."

She squeals and jumps a foot off her seat, stumbling and nearly falling flat on her face before Oliver grips her shoulders and steadies her. He's on the verge of commenting on her penchant for overreacting when he gets a good look at her face.

"What is that?"

Felicity looks at him in momentary confusion before her blue eyes widen in horror.

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched it, I'll just – "

Watching her, Oliver can't help it – he lets out a deep, full-bellied laugh that echoed throughout the foundry. He tries to stop, but glancing at Felicity again causes another unstoppable wave of laughter.

Felicity stops talking, staring at him as he doubled over, gripping his sides. With his face turning red from the lack of oxygen and his eyes glittering in amusement, Oliver looks like a little boy. She let out a grin.

"It's good to see you laugh like that. You look good with a real smile on your face, Oliver. Not that you don't always look good… oh god."

Oliver somehow finds a moment to breathe. "And you, Felicity," he manages between bouts of laughter, "look good with my mask on."


End file.
